Adjacent Words

Compulsion definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPULSION, n. [L., See Compel.]
1. The act of driving or urging by force, physical or moral; force applied; constraint of the will; the application of a force that is irresistible.
If reasons were as plenty as blackberries, I would give no man a reason on compulsion.
A man is excused for acts done through unavoidable force and compulsion.
2. The state of being compelled or urged by violence.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid; "he felt a compulsion to babble on about the accident" [syn: compulsion, irresistible impulse]
2: an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will; "her compulsion to wash her hands repeatedly" [syn: compulsion, obsession]
3: using force to cause something to occur; "though pressed into rugby under compulsion I began to enjoy the game"; "they didn't have to use coercion" [syn: compulsion, coercion]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin compulsion-, compulsio, from Latin compellere to compel Date: 15th century 1. a. an act of compelling ; the state of being compelled b. a force that compels 2. an irresistible persistent impulse to perform an act (as excessive hand washing); also the act itself

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a constraint; an obligation. 2 Psychol. an irresistible urge to a form of behaviour, esp. against one's conscious wishes. Phrases and idioms: under compulsion because one is compelled. Etymology: ME f. F f. LL compulsio -onis (as compel)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compulsion Com*pul"sion, n. [L. compulsio. See Compel.] The act of compelling, or the state of being compelled; the act of driving or urging by force or by physical or moral constraint; subjection to force. If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion. --Shak. With what compulsion and laborious flight We sunk thus low. --Milton. Syn: See Constraint.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(compulsions) 1. A compulsion is a strong desire to do something, which you find difficult to control. He felt a sudden compulsion to drop the bucket and run... = urge N-COUNT: oft N to-inf 2. If someone uses compulsion in order to get you to do something, they force you to do it, for example by threatening to punish you if you do not do it. Many universities argued that students learned more when they were in classes out of choice rather than compulsion... = coercion

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Coercion, constraint, application or employment of force.

Moby Thesaurus

abstraction, abulia, alienation, amperage, anxiety, anxiety equivalent, anxiety state, apathy, armipotence, authority, beef, black power, brute force, catatonic stupor, charge, charisma, clout, coercion, cogence, cogency, complex, compulsoriness, constraint, dejection, depression, detachment, dint, drive, driving, driving force, duress, effect, effectiveness, effectuality, elation, emotionalism, energy, euphoria, exigency, fascination, fixation, fixed idea, flower power, folie du doute, force, force majeure, forcefulness, full blast, full force, hang-up, hypercathexis, hypochondria, hysteria, hysterics, idee fixe, impellent, impelling, impelling force, impetus, impulse, impulsion, incentive, incitement, indifference, influence, insensibility, irresistible force, irresistible impulse, lethargy, main force, main strength, mana, mandatedness, mandatoriness, mania, melancholia, mental distress, might, might and main, mightiness, moment, momentum, monomania, morbid drive, motive power, moxie, muscle power, necessariness, necessitation, necessitude, necessity, need, obligation, obligatoriness, obligement, obsession, obsessive compulsion, pathological indecisiveness, pinch, pizzazz, poop, possession, potence, potency, potentiality, power, power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness, preoccupation, prepossession, prepotency, press, pressing, pressure, productiveness, productivity, propulsion, psychalgia, psychomotor disturbance, puissance, pull, punch, push, rash impulse, ruling passion, sinew, steam, strength, stress, strong arm, stupor, superiority, superpower, thrust, tic, twitching, unresponsiveness, urge, urgency, validity, vehemence, vigor, vim, violence, virility, virtue, virulence, vitality, wattage, weight, withdrawal